Coronavirus: Governments, pharmaceutical industries urged to provide a fair guarantee of Covid-19 vaccine

14 Mai 2020

Paris, France,  May  14 (Infosplusgabon) - The cost of vaccinating the poorest half of humanity, 3.7 billion people, against the coronavirus could be less than the profits of the ten largest pharmaceutical companies in four months, Oxfam International said on Thursday.

The charity called on governments and pharmaceutical companies to ensure that vaccines, tests and treatments are not patented and that they are distributed equitably among all nations and peoples.

"According to estimates by the Gates Foundation, it would cost $25 billion to buy and administer a safe and effective vaccine to the world's poorest people. Last year, the 10 largest pharmaceutical companies made $ 89 billion in profits, just under $ 30 billion on average every four months," Oxfam International said in a statement, a copy of which was made available to PANA in Paris.

The organization warned that wealthy countries and giants of the pharmaceutical industry, motivated by national or private interests, could prevent or delay the access of vulnerable people to a vaccine, especially in developing countries while ministers of Health from 194 countries will attend, during the World Health Assembly, a virtual meeting to be held on May 18.

"In its draft resolution submitted to the World Health Assembly, the EU proposed the voluntary pooling of patents associated with vaccines, treatments and tests for coronavirus. If this measure became mandatory worldwide, it would guarantee that all countries could produce or import low-cost versions of all available vaccines, treatments and tests, "said Oxfam.

However, the organization said leaked documents reveal that the Trump administration is trying to remove all references to patent pooling and replace them with much firmer formulas that would guarantee respect for pharmaceutical industry patents.

Thus, pharmaceutical companies would benefit from the exclusive right to produce the vaccines, treatments and tests they develop, and also to set prices, even if their research and development activities have been funded by money of taxpayers.

"It would therefore be indecent not to guarantee the availability of a free vaccine for all. Vaccines, tests and treatments should be distributed as needed and not sold to the highest bidder. We need safe, unpatented vaccines, treatments and tests that can be produced in massive quantities around the world, and a fair and clearly defined plan for their distribution, "argued Oxfam International.

FIN/ INFOSPLUSGABON/SDC/GABON2020

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